Busting Common Myths About Promotional Gifts

A lot has been said about promotional gifts in the past few years – though a big part of it has been proven true, there’s still plenty misconceptions that alter people’s stances on these corporate freebies. And it really isn’t fair, you see – promotional products have been the backbone of brand recognition since forever, and some people have unjustly been giving them a bad name. So, I decided to dig deep and look at all these errors, trying to find out why they’re so widely spread. Turns out, people believe any old wife’s tale they come across.

Let’s bust those myths, shall we?

Myth #1 It’s All Clutter, It’s Best to Throw It Away

This one is actually true – but only if you’re giving out products that your customers don’t find any use for, or feel that it’s not particularly valuable or interesting. Which is why you should always strive to surprise them with gifts they won’t find in regular shops – I’m telling you to forget about gifts such as pens (which people throw away immediately after the ink runs out, or they simply forget about it and misplace it), keychains with no special features (like a hidden knife or a bottle opener), or boring key straps, for instance.

Just slapping on your company’s name or logo and calling it a day doesn’t make it something that people will be very excited about. Yes, it’s a free gift, but where’s the originality? Was there even any thought put into the product?

But other than that, nope – people love promotional items and will always be happy to receive them. Even if it’s something they’ve seen a million times. Trust me, no one turns down a freebie.

Myth #2 Promotional Gifts are Cheap and Will Probably Not Last Long

Probably the most plausible myth of all – the idea that promotional gifts are cheap stems from the fact that normally, these products cost very little to manufacture. And while it is true that a company will not spend a big amount of money for these products, they are not short-lived. After all, a businessman would not want his brand to be recognized in association with cheaply-made products, right?

That’s why it’s safe to assume these items are not of bad quality – maybe not exactly the best of the best (it’s usually with corporate gifts that production is of higher quality), but definitely not the worst. In fact, promotional items have proven to have a very long life span – the majority of customers hang on to them for more than half a year!

Myth #3 Way Too Expensive for What They are

Compared to what exactly are promotional products too expensive? Give me at least one example, I double dare you. Can’t seem to find one? Just as I thought.

The reason you don’t have an answer to my question is that there is no actual answer. You see, it’s a tricky business, buying and distributing promotional products. We previously discussed why people tend to think these items are cheap, and I explained why they aren’t. Now I’m going to explain why they … are cheap? It’s complicated, but let me try and make sense of it.

It depends on which side you look at it from – these products aren’t expensive to manufacture, although they do require a fair amount of money. On the other hand, as a product itself, they’re not cheap – if manufactured correctly, they are made of quality materials and are, therefore, long-lasting. But they are not, in any sense of the word, too expensive to produce.

Myth #4 Ordering Last Minute Is Totally Fine

Guess what – promotional gifts are really, really, really popular, even to this day. And while you’re able to order your items at any given time, you are not guaranteed to receive them in the expected time. They sell out pretty quickly, especially during high season (specifically, the time around Christmas), which is why ordering a few months ahead of time is absolutely necessary if you wish to avoid stress.

It’s only if you’re extremely lucky that you’d be able to order last minute and still get all of your orders on time – again, highly unlikely (downright impossible, I’d say). If I were you, I wouldn’t push my luck. Simply plan ahead and order plenty of time before you actually need the gifts.

Myth #5 There’s Nothing Exciting About Them – They’re Old Hat

How could something free stop being exciting? Ever? In a million years? Sure, if you keep insisting on giving out boring promotional items, such as calendars, your customers will probably not be exactly thrilled about them. Again, we come back to originality and uniqueness. Don’t be just another one of those entrepreneurs that settle on the bare minimum – think outside the box! Promotional products are the easiest way to raise brand awareness, and it’d be a shame if you goofed up such a good opportunity by not giving it much thought.